Enrile brushes off Cayetano’s appeal for 30-minute plenary on RH bill

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile shot down an appeal made by Sen. Pia Cayetano to allot 30 minutes for the reproductive health (RH) bill in Tuesday’s afternoon session.

Enrile said he was “not ready” with his proposed amendments to the controversial bill after Cayetano, its principal author, noted that only the Senate President and Sen. Ralph Recto were set to introduce their alterations to the measure.

“The RH bill has been pending for almost two years. I request my colleagues to find time to finish this measure,” Cayetano said, adding that from an original list of “six to eight” senators who indicated their intent to introduce amendments, only the two mentioned have remained in the list.

Cayetano said she had spoken to the rest of the senators “and none of them would be making amendments.”

She added that if only Enrile and Recto were left, a period of amendments that would take 30 minutes at most would be a “reasonable request” so the Senate could finally take a vote on the measure.

Enrile said that while he could defend his position on the bill, he was not prepared to propose any amendment. The Senate President is widely believed to be against the RH bill.

Cayetano would have pressed on with her request had she not been brushed off by the Senate President.

“I do not know, Madame, when I (will be) ready. Will I be censured or kicked out as Senate President or outvoted because of this? So be it,” Enrile said.

And that was the end of that.